:00:00. > :00:13.That's all from the BBC News at Six News at Six,
:00:14. > :00:19.Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline...
:00:20. > :00:25.An angler from Armagh dies and another is missing after their boat
:00:26. > :00:28.sank. I'm in County Westmeath with the latest.
:00:29. > :00:31.As the search operation on Lough Ree continues, the loss of the men
:00:32. > :00:40.shocks the community in County Armagh. Very well-known in the
:00:41. > :00:46.community, well-known for being passionate about fishing and as the
:00:47. > :00:48.news has spread out everyone is completely devastated.
:00:49. > :00:53.Belfast bids farewell to the actor Jimmy Ellis, who is
:00:54. > :01:00.and Ulster Unionist Party me and a says he will apologise to Anna Lo
:01:01. > :01:03.for a controversial tweet. Paralympic skier Kelly Gallagher
:01:04. > :01:06.returns home to a heroes welcome. We were there to meet our new golden
:01:07. > :01:10.girl. And there'll be a taste of winter in
:01:11. > :01:15.the forecast this weekend. I'll be back with the details.
:01:16. > :01:19.One man is dead, another is missing, a third is in a critical condition
:01:20. > :01:24.in hospital after a fishing trip turned to tragedy. The men from
:01:25. > :01:28.Portadown Angling Club got into difficulties on Lough Ree in County
:01:29. > :01:32.Westmeath yesterday afternoon. The man who died has been named locally
:01:33. > :01:38.as David Warnock from Armagh. He was in his twenties. Our reporter,
:01:39. > :01:42.Julian Fowler, has spent the day at the lough shore and joins us from
:01:43. > :01:48.the marina at Hodson's Bay where the men set out.
:01:49. > :01:54.Well, Donna, the men had waited for a break in the weather yesterday
:01:55. > :01:59.afternoon but they were keen to meet up with a group of three friends who
:02:00. > :02:03.have set out earlier. Although the weather is calm now, I have seen
:02:04. > :02:07.myself today how quickly conditions can change. Just a few hours ago
:02:08. > :02:11.there was driving wind and rain and the water out on the lough for those
:02:12. > :02:18.carrying out the search operation was rough. The men had carried out
:02:19. > :02:21.-- planned camping and fishing trip on the Lough Ree.
:02:22. > :02:26.When weather conditions deteriorated a local man was quick to raise the
:02:27. > :02:28.alarm. I was talking to them, they were excited, looking forward to
:02:29. > :02:33.going fishing. They could not wait. You could see
:02:34. > :02:39.that they had a passion for what they were doing, that was their
:02:40. > :02:44.sport. They loved it. The last thing I said to the lads was, be safe,
:02:45. > :02:59.enjoy yourselves. They just... The lifeboat found two men in the
:03:00. > :03:02.water and brought them ashore. Searches have been continuing for
:03:03. > :03:06.the third man and the boat. Where are the search is going on it is
:03:07. > :03:12.around two or three miles from side to side.
:03:13. > :03:19.It is a big expanse of water, it is quite deep, and, as you say, you get
:03:20. > :03:27.strong winds there and they can whip up choppy waves very quickly. I
:03:28. > :03:33.think that may be what caught the campers by surprise yesterday.
:03:34. > :03:37.Searches have been taking place along the shore and on the cert --
:03:38. > :03:41.surface of the lough and divers have been looking beneath the water.
:03:42. > :03:48.Local fishermen have also joined in the search. We are members of
:03:49. > :03:53.Athlone anglers, and the group were pike fishermen, they enjoyed the
:03:54. > :03:57.water run the lake like ourselves. It is a sad accident that happened,
:03:58. > :04:03.we were talking to one of the lads that actually came up. He came up
:04:04. > :04:07.there today and he was saying that he has lost two Micro of his friends
:04:08. > :04:12.so far, there is just praying we find this ladder and get him home to
:04:13. > :04:16.his family. Now it is an anxious wait for news.
:04:17. > :04:18.I have spoken with the missing man's wife this morning very
:04:19. > :04:22.briefly. It is very raw, very emotional.
:04:23. > :04:28.There was not an awful lot said, but, you know, we will see how we go
:04:29. > :04:32.later on. The six friends had set off from
:04:33. > :04:37.Portadown for what was meant to be a weekend but Michael fishing. The
:04:38. > :04:42.fact that the trip turned to tragedy has shocked the town where the group
:04:43. > :04:48.was based. Conor Macauley reports. Fishing is popular in Portadown. The
:04:49. > :04:53.River runs through it. The draw of big fish took six friends from the
:04:54. > :04:56.town to Lough Ree. By yesterday evening word was filtering back of
:04:57. > :05:03.the tragedy that had befallen some of them. David Warnock was 27.
:05:04. > :05:08.Now confirmed dead committee was a relative of Craigavon's Deputy Lord
:05:09. > :05:11.Mayor. The community is reeling from this news.
:05:12. > :05:15.I have found out in the last hour that one of the guys who has died is
:05:16. > :05:19.a relative of mine and my family are devastated. It is understood the men
:05:20. > :05:25.involved in the incident on Lough Ree were on a trip organised by the
:05:26. > :05:28.Portadown Pikers, a fishing trip in the town.
:05:29. > :05:32.These men were role well-known and would have regularly been seen
:05:33. > :05:35.fishing along the banks of the River Bann. The missing man is understood
:05:36. > :05:43.to be from Portadown and is the father of several young children.
:05:44. > :05:46.I think this is a terrible tragedy that has affected the whole
:05:47. > :05:51.community and especially the school community at this time. Our thoughts
:05:52. > :05:56.and prayers are very much with the families affected. We are very, very
:05:57. > :06:00.concerned, just for everyone who has been involved at this time. We want
:06:01. > :06:06.to pursue them of our love and our prayers. Lough Ree is a popular spot
:06:07. > :06:11.for northern anglers but its size means it can be dangerous, too.
:06:12. > :06:14.Every angler across this island, when they heard that news, your
:06:15. > :06:19.stomach rolls over because you think, that could be me.
:06:20. > :06:24.All of us had been really close, no matter how experienced you are, that
:06:25. > :06:28.wild environment can catch you out. Friends and relatives are now
:06:29. > :06:31.praying for the family of David Warnock and hoping for the best
:06:32. > :06:36.possible outcome for his two friends.
:06:37. > :06:43.Well, the sun is starting to go down, and the first boats are
:06:44. > :06:46.returning to shore. It is likely this search operation will likely
:06:47. > :06:50.have to resume tomorrow morning. What began today with some optimism
:06:51. > :06:54.with the shoreline being searched in the hope this fishermen may have
:06:55. > :06:59.made it ashore last night as time those hopes are fading and this
:07:00. > :07:06.becomes ever more likely a recovery operation for his body.
:07:07. > :07:18.You are watching BBC Newsline. Still ahead on the programme...
:07:19. > :07:21.I am at a factory in Bangor that started out making brushes for the
:07:22. > :07:26.hair industry and ended up making parts for the Eurofighter.
:07:27. > :07:29.A father and mother have pleaded guilty to a litany of sexual abuse
:07:30. > :07:32.and other charges against their children over three decades. Two of
:07:33. > :07:36.the children's uncles and two other men pleaded guilty to similar
:07:37. > :07:39.offences against the youngsters. Our reporter, Claire Savage, was in
:07:40. > :07:44.court, and I should warn you, you may find some of the details in her
:07:45. > :07:48.report distressing. A court has heard today how four
:07:49. > :07:53.children suffered horrific sexual abuse, neglect and cruelty by their
:07:54. > :07:57.parents and two uncles, as well as two other men. Belfast Crown Court
:07:58. > :08:04.also heard the abuse took place between the late 1970s and early
:08:05. > :08:08.1990s in the childrens' home before they were taken into care. The
:08:09. > :08:12.prosecution barrister said the children's mother had sex with
:08:13. > :08:13.various men on different occasions, sometimes even with her two
:08:14. > :08:19.brothers. He said the children's mother,
:08:20. > :08:23.described as a prostitute in an earlier hearing, was often drunk and
:08:24. > :08:27.made her very young children what are having sex. He added that one
:08:28. > :08:32.girl was left so badly neglected she was still in a cot by the age of two
:08:33. > :08:36.and could barely walk or talk. The judge, Mr Justice Warner, was
:08:37. > :08:42.also told one child was a bed-wetter and was made to sleep in a heavily
:08:43. > :08:49.soiled matter -- mattress. A social worker described the house
:08:50. > :08:53.as squalid. It said the -- the board said the children were often left
:08:54. > :08:56.starving. All six accused eventually appeared in the dock today.
:08:57. > :09:00.One of the uncles had to be arrested by police and brought to court. The
:09:01. > :09:06.father and mother both have pleaded guilty to 17 charges of cruelty and
:09:07. > :09:11.neglect, the mother to six counts of gross indecency, and the father to
:09:12. > :09:18.one of assault. Sentencing is due to take place later this month.
:09:19. > :09:22.There was a fond farewell today to Jimmy Ellis, the veteran actor
:09:23. > :09:25.remembered for his many roles on stage and screen. His family and
:09:26. > :09:29.fellow actors gathered in Belfast for the 82-year-old's funeral
:09:30. > :09:32.service. People lined the streets and applauded his cortege as it
:09:33. > :09:40.wound its way through the city streets. Martin Cassidy reports.
:09:41. > :09:46.Born and bred in the shadow of the shipyard, Jimmy Ellis never forgot
:09:47. > :09:51.where he came from. Nor have the public he touched through screen,
:09:52. > :09:56.stage and TV drama roles, none more so than as the graph cop with a
:09:57. > :10:01.heart of gold in the long-running series, Z Cars. More than a few
:10:02. > :10:08.tears were brushed away, but mostly it was music, laughter and applause
:10:09. > :10:11.which ran out from St Mark's in east Belfast as family, friends and
:10:12. > :10:16.fellow actors celebrated the life and work of Jimmy Ellis. He was a
:10:17. > :10:21.great friend and a mentor, not just to me but too many people.
:10:22. > :10:26.Most of us will remember Jimmy's lightness and is fun.
:10:27. > :10:31.There have been many tributes. Sir Kenneth Branagh said he was highly
:10:32. > :10:32.intelligent, funny man and that horrendous as Michael tremendous
:10:33. > :10:47.actor. -- and a tremendous actor. It is overwhelming to see the level
:10:48. > :10:52.of support. Honestly, dad would not believe how much attention this has
:10:53. > :10:56.drawn, I promise you. Modest to the end, he would be overwhelmed, and
:10:57. > :11:01.will be, I hope, overwhelmed, with this. That was my experience and the
:11:02. > :11:07.experience of so many of us here today of Jimmy Ellis.
:11:08. > :11:12.A man fully alive. A few days before his 82nd birthday,
:11:13. > :11:17.it was a long life, a fulfilled life, he touched a lot of people's
:11:18. > :11:21.lives. He touched people's lives he had never met and it is important we
:11:22. > :11:26.celebrate the gifts he was given. This afternoon, a final episode, as
:11:27. > :11:30.Jimmy Ellis's cortege revisited some of the special places in his life.
:11:31. > :11:37.The former family home on a park avenue. And the school year tended
:11:38. > :11:42.as a boy. An opportunity, too, for Belfast to say farewell and thank
:11:43. > :11:47.you to one of its favourite sons. Jimmy Ellis, who died at the age of
:11:48. > :11:49.82. Coming up a little later... Our paralympic golden girl Kelly
:11:50. > :11:57.Gallagher receives a world-beating welcome back in Belfast.
:11:58. > :12:02.The Alliance leader has described as bizarre the row over his party's
:12:03. > :12:13.European election candidate and her declared preference for a United
:12:14. > :12:15.Ireland. Anna Lo's comments threatens to overshadow the Party's
:12:16. > :12:20.annual conference which starts tonight. Our political
:12:21. > :12:23.correspondent, Martina Purdy, reports on that and an apology from
:12:24. > :12:26.an Ulster Unionist for comments relating to Anna Lo which were
:12:27. > :12:31.posted on his Twitter account. The Alliance leader has been
:12:32. > :12:36.defending his party's European candidate over this interview in
:12:37. > :12:40.yesterday's Irish news when Anna Lo declared her preference for a united
:12:41. > :12:44.Ireland. The party leader says he finds the reaction rather strange. I
:12:45. > :12:47.find it absolutely bizarre. Two years ago in a conference speech I
:12:48. > :12:52.talked about the diversity of background with them -- backgrounds
:12:53. > :12:56.within the Alliance party. I said some type -- some people
:12:57. > :13:00.would have long-term nationalist or Unionist aspirations. Nobody batted
:13:01. > :13:07.an eyelid when I said that and today it becomes an enormous news story.
:13:08. > :13:11.The DUP demanded an apology from Anna Lo for implying Northern
:13:12. > :13:14.Ireland was a colony. Now it seems maybe others should be
:13:15. > :13:20.saying sorry over this tweet which appeared on Ulster and Michael
:13:21. > :13:23.Copeland's account. It states, while back we asked what happened when you
:13:24. > :13:28.vote yellow? Well, maybe it is more of a
:13:29. > :13:34.yellowish green? And it links to the Irish news article. The reference to
:13:35. > :13:39.Green is a cross reference to an's comments about her long-term
:13:40. > :13:45.aspiration for a united Ireland. There was no racist intent in it.
:13:46. > :13:49.As Michael Anna Lo's comments. This party has a zero tolerance policy of
:13:50. > :13:55.racism and it is for that reason I had the tweet removed.
:13:56. > :14:00.On inside politics this evening, the Alliance leader had this response. I
:14:01. > :14:04.had not heard or seen exactly what was on his Twitter feed.
:14:05. > :14:08.I understand he has apologised, or at least whoever put the thing up,
:14:09. > :14:12.maybe not Michael Copeland himself. It does rather show the dangers of
:14:13. > :14:17.some people who rushed to social media without engaging their brains
:14:18. > :14:22.first. Anna Lo has thus far not commented.
:14:23. > :14:27.The boy who was killed when he was knocked down in Banbridge was
:14:28. > :14:31.14-year-old Mark Colgan. He was walking close to his home on Scarva
:14:32. > :14:34.Road when he was hit by a van yesterday morning. A man known to be
:14:35. > :14:37.a senior figure in dissident republican circles has been
:14:38. > :14:41.critically wounded in a shooting in north Dublin. A gunman shot him in
:14:42. > :14:45.the head as he dropped his child off at a creche in Donaghmede. It is
:14:46. > :14:49.understood the victim, who is in his thirties, is wanted by the PSNI for
:14:50. > :14:51.questioning about the murder of two men in Belfast in 2007.
:14:52. > :14:55.Around 200 workers and supporters have held a rally to protest against
:14:56. > :14:57.plans to close the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Coleraine. The
:14:58. > :15:04.government has decided to move vehicle licensing services to
:15:05. > :15:08.Swansea. A firm in Bangor has signed a ?1
:15:09. > :15:12.million contract to supply parts for fighter jets used by the RAF. Denroy
:15:13. > :15:15.Plastics, which already makes components for the Typhoon
:15:16. > :15:17.Eurofighter, is to create further parts for what's described as the
:15:18. > :15:25.world's most advanced combat aircraft. Two of the jets were at
:15:26. > :15:35.Aldergrove today and BBC Newsline's Mervyn Jess was there.
:15:36. > :15:37.Denroy employees 160 people and today, some of them got to see the
:15:38. > :15:43.Eurofighter close for the first time. The staff work at Aldergrove,
:15:44. > :15:50.where two of the aircraft and their crew had landed on a flying visit.
:15:51. > :15:53.Denroy Plastics started out making brushes for the haircutting
:15:54. > :15:59.industry, and now, it is making parts for the most sophisticated
:16:00. > :16:11.combat aircraft in the world. We assemble about 180 different parts.
:16:12. > :16:15.It will also help us to boost our employment levels, with business
:16:16. > :16:28.managers, designers, right through to machine operators. This was a
:16:29. > :16:32.chance to see some of the components being made, and the workers were all
:16:33. > :16:37.over the finished product. It is a great opportunity. We manufacture
:16:38. > :16:43.about 180 parts, and just be able to see what they going to and what it
:16:44. > :16:46.makes, it is great. It is interesting for them to come and see
:16:47. > :16:55.it, see all the components going into it and to show us the bits they
:16:56. > :17:01.make. The aircraft is phenomenal, it takes what a lot of training to get
:17:02. > :17:05.to this point. The aircraft is amazing. For the Chairman of
:17:06. > :17:09.Denroy, who helped found the company, it was a rather special
:17:10. > :17:13.day. Some of the materials used in the manufacture are extremely
:17:14. > :17:20.expensive, high-technology materials. And indeed, I am looking
:17:21. > :17:26.at one visible here. Well, it makes me feel immensely proud. The company
:17:27. > :17:29.says the new order is for that might further proof of a growing
:17:30. > :17:35.manufacturing base within Northern Ireland.
:17:36. > :17:38.It's a year since we were hit with Arctic weather which killed hundreds
:17:39. > :17:42.of animals and left many people snowed in for days. BBC Newsline's
:17:43. > :17:50.Tara Mills has been back to meet some of those who were affected.
:17:51. > :17:56.The pictures few of us will ever forget, hundreds of sheep buried for
:17:57. > :18:01.days in Antrim. Cold and starving, most of this block did not survive.
:18:02. > :18:05.This was one of the lucky ones. The former are skewed some of them, but
:18:06. > :18:15.lost many more. We have a lot of snow. -- the farmer rescued. As we
:18:16. > :18:21.get to the trees, the snow was level with the tops of those trees. Once
:18:22. > :18:28.we get the roads opened, thanks to the council and others, we got dug
:18:29. > :18:34.in ourselves to where we could feed them. We were able to get silage to
:18:35. > :18:40.them on the Monday evening and on Tuesday. But it was another week
:18:41. > :18:45.before they came on to their feed broccoli. They started complete
:18:46. > :18:50.starvation in the heart conditions, it had given them a colossal shake.
:18:51. > :18:55.Elsewhere, homeowners were stranded for several days. People like
:18:56. > :19:02.Patricia, who was happy to see a familiar BBC Newsline face arrive at
:19:03. > :19:07.her door. We are here to help. Looking back, she says it was a last
:19:08. > :19:13.resort. We were stowed in for five days, with no electricity for three
:19:14. > :19:20.days. -- Snodin. We phoned the BBC. We e-mailed the BBC, phone radio
:19:21. > :19:24.Ulster, looking for help. My husband was running out of his tablets, his
:19:25. > :19:29.medication, which he needed. He takes them every day. He cannot miss
:19:30. > :19:35.it. We were getting desperate by then. Farmers here say they have not
:19:36. > :19:39.seen anything like the weather last year since about 1968 three. They
:19:40. > :19:43.are hoping it will be at least another 50 years before they see in
:19:44. > :19:47.it like it again. -- since 19 city three.
:19:48. > :19:51.Cecilia will be with us shortly with the weather forecast, which has snow
:19:52. > :19:54.in it! First, a welcome home for the gold medal winning paralympian Kelly
:19:55. > :19:58.Gallagher. I don't think she'll need her skis in Bangor.
:19:59. > :20:00.Kelly will probably be too busy signing autographs and getting
:20:01. > :20:07.photographs taken to worry about skis. She landed back in Belfast a
:20:08. > :20:10.short time ago to a hero's welcome. And there to meet our new golden
:20:11. > :20:16.girl was Dame Mary Peters, an Olympic gold medallist back in 1972.
:20:17. > :20:20.Great to see the two golden girls together. Mark Sidebottom was at
:20:21. > :20:25.George Best City Airport. There is flash photography in this report.
:20:26. > :20:30.From the slopes of Sochi to the shores of Belfast, welcome, so
:20:31. > :20:34.going, what is it like to be back rose-mac it is so exciting to be
:20:35. > :20:38.home. I feel like I am bringing it home to all the people who have
:20:39. > :20:45.supported a. We know how to put a party on. This is the reception I
:20:46. > :20:51.get. How are you coping with the new fame? We normally go to ski races
:20:52. > :20:56.and no one is there from my mum. Then we go to the Paralympics and we
:20:57. > :21:03.bring back the gold medal. It is brilliant. By now, you will must
:21:04. > :21:08.have this answer preplanned, but are you the proudest mum of them all? I
:21:09. > :21:16.am, I am so happy for her role -- for her. And what a turnout. That's
:21:17. > :21:21.right, all our friends from everywhere, it is brilliant. I know
:21:22. > :21:25.you have an appointment with the people of North Down, what is your
:21:26. > :21:30.message to them? Thank you so much. It has been really tough but I'm so
:21:31. > :21:36.delighted to be able to finally achieve the dream I have had for so
:21:37. > :21:42.long. IQ, Kelly and Maggie. -- thank you. Ulster face Edinburgh tonight
:21:43. > :21:45.at Murrayfield in the Rabo Pro12, looking to consolidate their
:21:46. > :21:48.position in the play-off spots in the table. Stephen Ferris, who came
:21:49. > :21:54.off the bench in last week's win over Scarlets, is in the starting 15
:21:55. > :21:57.this time. This is what Ulster have been
:21:58. > :22:06.missing. Good news for the team-mates, even if Ferris is the
:22:07. > :22:16.fans' favourite. It was a good welcome back. He has overcome a lot
:22:17. > :22:21.to get there. It was great to see. With a handful of key names back in
:22:22. > :22:25.recent weeks, Ulster take on Edinburgh tonight full of
:22:26. > :22:31.confidence. They are a different animal at Murrayfield. They have
:22:32. > :22:40.some new signings. I think if we go into the game and start how we did
:22:41. > :22:43.in the last game, it will be good. The season run-in starts now. The
:22:44. > :22:47.game is live on BBC Radio Ulster megawatts, coverage from 7:30pm.
:22:48. > :22:50.Ireland are out of the World Twenty20 after a quite remarkable
:22:51. > :22:56.game against the Netherlands in Bangladesh today, where big hitting
:22:57. > :23:03.was the order of the day. It had all started so well for
:23:04. > :23:16.Ireland. Kevin O'Brien and Andrew Poynter smashed 101 runs. In just 45
:23:17. > :23:23.balls. It has gone for Miles! The Dutch were set a target of 190, but
:23:24. > :23:26.the response from the men in orange was ferocious. They set about the
:23:27. > :23:36.Irish bowling, hitting a world record of 19 60s to win the game
:23:37. > :23:43.with com parody. -- 1960s. -- with comparative ease. Unbelievable
:23:44. > :23:47.scenes. The Netherlands go through to the super tens, but Ireland are
:23:48. > :23:50.heading home. From 7am this morning until 7pm
:23:51. > :23:53.tonight, sport stars have all taken to our treadmill here in
:23:54. > :23:56.Broadcasting House for the good cause of Sport Relief. Among those
:23:57. > :24:01.helping us to get to a total target of 70 miles were the likes of David
:24:02. > :24:09.Healy here. Golfer Michael Hoey, looking trim. Snooker's Mark Allen,
:24:10. > :24:13.perhaps not so much! Nice headband! And Ricky "The hit man" Hatton even
:24:14. > :24:17.turned up to join in all the fun. It's been a great effort by all
:24:18. > :24:20.concerned, and if you want to see who else has been doing their bit,
:24:21. > :24:23.check out the BBC Newsline Facebook site.
:24:24. > :24:34.The weather is next, with Cecilia. This time last year, we had so
:24:35. > :24:38.against no, temperatures have followed today and it has been
:24:39. > :24:43.snowing as well. The snow has been falling over the hills, but it has
:24:44. > :24:46.not been settling. It is now clearing away but there will be
:24:47. > :24:53.further sleet and snow showers tonight. Later on tonight, there is
:24:54. > :25:00.the risk of ice. The Met Office have issued a warning for icy surfaces.
:25:01. > :25:04.Still some sleet and snow showers around tonight, mostly at low levels
:25:05. > :25:07.and mostly in the West. Temperatures dropping to below freezing in some
:25:08. > :25:12.places. The cold weather continues this weekend. There will be some
:25:13. > :25:16.sunshine as well, especially on Sunday. Further Patricia to come,
:25:17. > :25:23.particularly the next couple of nights. Tomorrow starts off chilly
:25:24. > :25:27.but sunny in many places. During the second half of the morning, the next
:25:28. > :25:35.area of showers moves in. There will be some hail and sleet, even some
:25:36. > :25:43.snow. Hitting land just as the half marathon starts. Temperatures are
:25:44. > :25:46.when we had the sunshine in. It will feel colder than that in the wind.
:25:47. > :25:53.In the sunnier moments tomorrow, we're looking at top temperatures of
:25:54. > :25:56.around eight or nine. Another cold one on Saturday night into Sunday
:25:57. > :26:01.morning. Fewer showers to come on Sunday. More in the way of sunshine
:26:02. > :26:05.but still that chilly wind. A sharp frost is likely on Monday morning. I
:26:06. > :26:07.Tuesday, temperatures back into double figures.